“Saving yourself for me? How romantic.”

“Jerked off last night,” he murmurs low. “Then this morning in the shower.”

Oh boy.

“Thinkin’ of your sweet cunt.”

My body trembles.

“Now go to sleep, I have to work.”

Sigh.

“Good night, Marcus,” I whisper, smiling happily. “I love you.”

He’s silent, like he always is when I say this. And he responds with the same thing he’s responded with from the start. He’s never said it back. I don’t think he knows how, so for now, I don’t push it.

“I know you do, Katia.”

With that, he hangs up.

~*~*~*~

MARCUS

My hand strokes over my cock and my forehead presses to the shower wall. Fuck, I miss my wife’s pussy. The woman drives me crazy, always happy and bubbly, seeing the best in people, but she’s got a sweet fuckin’ body. She also loves when I’m inside that body. I love the way she claws my back, sliding her body all over mine. Sweet. Worth the ring I put on her finger.

I don’t love her, but she’s proving easier to live with than I’d first thought. She’s oddly obedient, and looks at me like the damned sun shines out of my ass. I know she loves me; I’ve known it a long time. I hated it for the first few months, fuckin’ hated it, but in the end it doesn’t change anything. She can love me all she wants, if it makes her happy then so be it. I want her happy.

I’m not that much of a jerk.

I groan deep as I explode into my own hand. It’s been more than a week since I’ve had her, and fuck, I need her. I lift my head off the cold tile, groaning as the last strands shoot into the water. I’m tired of hotel beds, tired of my hand, tired of shitty showers and crappy food. Once I’ve located Lucas’ second-in-charge, I’m out of here.

I don’t miss her, though. As cruel as that is, it’s nice to have time on my own. However I will be glad to get home and bury myself deep inside her.

That part is most definitely worth it.

CHAPTER 8

THEN

Katia

“You can’t be serious!” I cry down the phone to Candy.

“Please, Kat, I need it urgently. If I show to this meeting without it, Marcus will flip.”

“I stood him up,” I whisper urgently. “I crawled out of his bed in the morning, left him a sketchy note and ran. I can’t be seen.”

“He’s in a meeting,” she urges. “He’ll be gone. It’ll be in and out. Please, Kat, I need it.”

God dammit. She wants me to bring a flash drive that has her presentation on it, and it’s sitting on my table. She forgot it this morning after rushing out. Now she wants me to take it in. Into her workplace, which happens to be Marcus’s freaking house. I’m supposed to take all this in, and not be seen by the man I snuck out on.

I’ve never snuck out on anyone, but I had no choice. He is just too dangerous for me. Too sexy. Too intense. Too . . . Marcus. He gave me the best sex of my entire life. God, it was amazing. His mouth, his body, his cock . . . everything. So I freaked out and ran. I can’t afford to have someone like that in my world; there’s just no place for a man as risky as Marcus Tandem.

“Jesus, Candy,” I mutter. “Fine. But if he’s there, I’m going to flip.”

She mumbles ten thank-yous and hangs up. It’s my one day off, and I have to go to my latest fling’s house, after I stood him up three days prior, and pray he isn’t there. With a deep sigh, I walk over to the table and snatch up the flash drive. Then I throw a coat on, take my car keys and drive to Marcus’s house.

~*~*~*~

I see Marcus’s office space for the first time, even though I spent the night at his house. It was clear on my first night half of his massive home had been transformed into an office; I just didn’t know the extent of it. The moment I step through the front doors, I stare, completely shocked this is even part of his house. It’s massive and beautifully set out, so much so that it looks like any normal business.

There’s no way you would guess it’s a house.

A beautiful pine reception desk is the first thing you see, and a young blonde woman sits behind it, her hair tied tightly on her head, glasses perched on her nose, typing frantically. Above her is a large mass of golden letters that spell out Tandem Machines. Such an odd business. I suppose things have to get built somehow—without machines, there’s no way of that happening. It makes sense.

Behind the woman, there are sectioned-off offices, some with glass so you can see right into them, others fully secured. It would appear the business is two stories, because there’s a lift dead center of the room. People are busily typing, phones are ringing and it is, overall, a busy little space. I move my eyes back to the reception desk, and walk in closer.

The blonde woman looks up when I step closer and she flashes somewhat of a fake, but charming smile. “How can I help you this morning?”

“I’m here to drop something off to Candice.” I smile.

“Of course. Her office is the last on the right.”

I nod, and thank her. I step past the desk and quickly hurry down past the rows of offices. I make it to the last on the right, open it and find it empty. God damned Candy!

“Can I help you?”

I turn to face a charming, elderly man. He’s got a warm smile, and a shock of grey hair. His blue eyes study me and his smile widens.